CB Devo wraps up Junior Bike Week

Racers from all over come to Crested Butte

By Than Acuff  

There were junior bikers from Arkansas, riders from Maine, from California, from Texas and even a family from Florida with kids throwing double backflips in the bike park all in town last week for CB Devo’s Junior Bike week presented by Shimano. And thanks to event partners, volunteers and the cooperation of Mother Nature, it was a success. 

“It was a blast,” says CB Devo director Amy Nolan. “The weather barely hung on.”

Junior Bike Week started nine years ago with just the Wildflower Rush cross-country race and this year continued to morph some of its race options to include a downhill race and a short track race along with its staple, the Wildflower Rush cross-country race, as well as crowning the overall champ based on results from all three races. This is all in addition to its litany of family friendly events throughout each day and evening of the festival. 

The racing portion started off with a bang on Friday, June 28, with the new downhill race on Avery at CBMR, and while the track was slick in spots during training runs, all was well once racers started dropping in for their runs.

“We were a little worried about conditions but once the racing started, it was in great shape,” says Nolan. “CBMR seemed really happy with the event and I think it was a win-win for us and CBMR.”

Day two on Saturday saw the advent of the other new event to the festival, short track racing on a course by the gravel pit and around Tommy V Field. That too turned out to be a success for both organizers and participants.

“We integrated all different surfaces and kind of nailed the course,” says Nolan. “The coolest thing about the course was that wherever you were, you could see the whole course and that’s not the norm.”

Given the success of the two new race events, Nolan looks to keep those in place moving forward with Junior Bike Week.

“The response to those events was off the charts,” says Nolan. “So long as we have the support of our partners like the town of Crested Butte, CBMR and the Land Trust, I don’t see anything changing.” 

Junior Bike Week then wrapped up, at least the racing part of it, with the showcase event, the Wildflower Rush on the Lupine and Lower Loop trail systems Sunday morning and with a healthy dose of volunteers, most of whom have helped out for years, racers hit the trails starting at 8:30 a.m. and were off the trails by 11:30 a.m.

“We like being able to say we get on early and get off the trails early so people can get out and enjoy them in the afternoon and evening,” says Nolan. “We have great volunteers that come back year after year and it just makes the whole puzzle of putting it on so much easier. We’re also seeing more and more out of town families volunteering which is great.”

Last year was the best registration numbers and this year matched that and while Junior Bike Week is the main fundraiser for CB Devo, Nolan still looks to generate additional revenue from the event without compromising the experience both with participants and with partners.

“We’d rather brainstorm and find creative ways to generate revenue rather than just raise fees or allow more racers,” says Nolan. “We’re not in this to blow it up. We want to be mindful of the impact on the town and the trails.”